


The Jealous Pharaoh's Sigh

by yuletide_archivist



Category: The Mummy Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-22
Updated: 2004-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-25 01:13:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1623719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick and Evie have escaped from Hamunaptra, but Imhotep's power -- and Medjai Ardeth Bey -- are still with them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Jealous Pharaoh's Sigh

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Franzi

 

 

"Extraordinary," Evie whispered, her breath briefly fogging the gleaming brass surface of the enameled box. Was this Sixth Dynasty, perhaps? Or even older? "I've never seen its like."

"And," Rick said firmly, "if you don't put it away while we travel through Cairo, aka the city with the most pickpockets per capita in the world, you'll never see it again."

His emphasis broke her reverie, and quickly Evie tucked the tiny box back into one of the packs as their camels made their way into the outskirts of town, the sand turning to road beneath their feet. "Right. Yes. Silly of me not to think of it myself."

"Who can think at a time like this?" Her brother Jonathan still looked a bit dazed. Evie thought their long trip through the desert and the narrow escapes they'd had at Hamunaptra had combined to addle his wits somewhat -- not that they hadn't been a touch addled to begin with. "First of all, we're not dead. I find this quite remarkable enough. But add in the fact that millions of pounds' worth of ancient artifacts ended up in our saddlebags by magic -"

"I doubt magic had anything to do with it," Rick said.

Evie raised an eyebrow. "After the past week, I shouldn't be so doubtful about magic."

His gaze rested on her, hungry and curious and something else that inspired a delicious warmth in her belly. "I believe in all kinds of things I never did before." But then Rick's grin turned cocky as he added, "All the same, we can be pretty sure Imhotep didn't pack us any souvenirs to remember him by."

"Maybe it was that remarkable fellow, the leader of the Medjai," Jonathan suggested. "What was the name?"

"Ardeth Bey," Evie supplied. "But I can't imagine he would give us these treasures."

"He seems to think everything a pharaoh ever touched is sacred." Rick made a clicking sound, tongue against teeth, which made his camel groan and turn to the left. "Ardeth Bey didn't have anything to do with it."

"Doesn't matter." Jonathan dabbed at his forehead with a bandanna. "We've got the treasure, fair and square. We've made our fortunes. And now, by God, we can get ourselves to a decent hotel. One with baths, and linens, and ice-cold martinis."

Evie felt that the artifacts would be more properly donated to the British Museum, but, of course, there would be time to argue that point with Jonathan later. "Yes. A hotel. I've been dying to lie back in a real, proper bed."

"Interesting mental picture," Rick said. He wasn't looking at her as he said it, but all the same, she felt her cheeks flush with a heat that wasn't the Egyptian sun.

**

By late afternoon, they were comfortably situated in three large rooms in what Evie was sure was the most elegant hotel in all of Cairo. Jonathan's suite looked out on the Nile, and Evie's upon the city itself. Small lanterns bobbed about on the roads, illuminating them, as day turned to dusk.

Rick's rooms were right next to Evie's. Accident or design? she wondered. Design, probably. Rick O'Connell left far too many things to chance, but she suspected this wasn't among them.

As she bathed, luxuriating in the warm water that lifted the desert grime away, Evie allowed herself to contemplate - in the abstract, of course - precisely what Rick's hopes for the evening might be, and to what extent she might indulge them.

A proper young lady, of course, would never dream of entertaining a gentleman overnight. Then again, Evie had never considered herself a proper young lady. Being a librarian allowed one to indulge natural curiosities; Evie was quite certain that she knew more about the marital relation than most unmarried women did. Decent unmarried women, of course. Though her knowledge was still wholly theoretical, Evie had always resolved that, when the right opportunity arrived, she would no more hide behind false modesty or morality than a young man would.

And yet, opportunity had arrived, and she found herself confused all the same.

She thought of Rick - strong jaw, muscled arms, broad back - and felt herself become a little dizzy. Leaning her head back against the cool porcelain of the tub, Evie breathed in scented steam and remembered the kisses they'd shared, eager and desperate.

Nothing in the books had mentioned that feeling. It enthralled her, and yet it frightened her too. No matter what, Evie liked to think of herself as being in control, and if she were to - if she and Rick -

Evie's imagination half-formed visions for her, unfocused but tantalizing, of limbs and breaths and Rick's mouth on hers. In the hot water, she shivered, and wondered if she dared live up to her own dreams.

**

She dressed slowly. Every step of her toilette - powdering her skin to softness with lavender-scented talcum, slipping the light cotton nightdress over her body and noticing how transparent it was in the lamplight - seemed to take longer. Evie studied her face in the silver-backed hand mirror for a long time. It was the same face she'd always had. It seemed as though everything ought to have changed - as though she should be someone else. Someone more glamorous, more sure.

Her hair was almost dry - a slightly damp riot of curls, falling down her back - and her silk dressing gown neatly in place before a knock on the door signaled that her supper had arrived. Evie had messaged down for it some time ago, so she wasn't surprised; however, she had not expected for Rick to be standing there with the tray.

"Don't worry," Rick said, one corner of his mouth tilted in a smile. "I tipped the bellboy before I sent him away."

"Come in," she said, hearing the prim note in her voice and hating herself for it. And yet, as if by its own volition, her right hand crept up to the neck of her dressing gown and pulled it closed. "It was - considerate of you to bring that up, Rick. Yes. Quite nice."

Rick cocked his head; obviously, she wasn't behaving the way he'd hoped. Did he think she was some sort of a slattern?

Then again, being a bit of a slattern was part of the evening's plans, wasn't it?

He tried another smile. "I aim to please."

And, oh, that sounded delicious. But Evie still sat stiffly in the chair farthest from him. Hadn't she kissed him, out on the sands, right in front of Jonathan and everything? Then again - in front of Jonathan, there had been no risk that anything - more - would happen. Now, in a hotel suite with a large, four-poster bed just a room away, it seemed as though anything could happen.

"I've been studying the artifacts," she said, which was almost completely a lie; she'd given them no more than 30 minutes of her time while waiting for her bath to be drawn. Still, it was something to say. "Some of them are truly remarkable - older even than the mummy's time. Though there is one piece, this little amulet, that I think might date from his era precisely -"

Just as her hand closed over the velvet pouch that held the amulet, Rick said, "I didn't actually come here to discuss Egyptology."

"You're in Egypt," she said lightly. "Everything's Egyptology, in a sense."

"Didn't come here to talk semantics, either." He raised one eyebrow. "You didn't know I knew that word, did you?"

"Don't be silly," Evie replied, wishing she hadn't been thinking precisely that. "Well, then, Rick, if you didn't come here to - to discuss our find - what, ah, was it that you wished to talk about?"

 _Marvelous_ , she thought. _Smashing. I sound as though I'm addressing the first-years on Speech Day._

Then again - she knew how to invite a professor to tea, or even bargain with a jailkeeper for a man's life. But she hadn't the first clue how to ask a man to spend the night.

Rick rested one hand in his chin, looking for a moment unexpectedly boyish. He had changed into fresh clothes - nice clothes, Evie realized, a touch more polished than she would've expected from Rick. Was he trying to be presentable for her?

But the charmed smile that had began to steal across her face faded as Rick said, "We ought to discuss how we plan to divide up the find."

Money! She ought to have known.

Evie poured herself some tea and bit her tongue to keep from asking if he wanted any. "We each contributed to our successes in Hamunaptra. I translated the hieroglyphics, you found the city and acted as our guard, and Jonathan -"

They were both silent for a few moments. Rick finally said, "Jonathan did his thing."

"Right."

"So you're saying we should do this as a straight, three-way split."

"I intend to give my share to the proper authorities, of course." Oh, God, could she sound any more ghastly? But Evie couldn't bring herself to relax, to joke with Rick - or just to lean forward and kiss him.

Though she so very, very much wanted to kiss him -

"As long as you let me do what I want with my third, the brother and sister Carnahan are welcome to do what they want with theirs." Rick scowled at the teapot, as though it had thwarted him.

"I've no problem with that at all."

"Good."

"We can divide the shares tomorrow morning."

Rick nodded. His voice was softer as he said, "You can tell us what it's all worth, Evie. I know you'll - you'll be fair."

For a man like Rick, who had spent so many years living by his wits and trusting no one, Evie knew there were few greater signs of trust. Her heart seemed to go warm and soft within her chest, and she could only think, _Don't go, please don't go. Give me time, give me another several shots of whiskey, whatever it takes so that I can keep you from leaving._

"Guess you two will head on back to England, after this." Rick was studying her intently in the low light.

"I suppose we shall. Though -"

"Yeah?" That was certainly eagerness she heard in his voice, and the sound of it did something strange to her body; Evie felt a tightness and warmth between her legs, a pulse that almost startled her.

But instead of making her bold, it choked off the words she longed to say. "I shall miss --Egypt."

Rick rose slowly. "Egypt's gonna miss you." He exhaled, a long sigh that seemed to take her own breath away. "Jonathan's buying rounds in the bar downstairs. I'll go keep him from telling everyone we've got a treasure-trove up here."

"Good idea." Which, in many ways, it was. But Evie longed to tell Rick not to go, the words still bubbling inside her as Rick walked out and shut the door behind him.

"Blast!" No, Evie decided, that wasn't nearly good enough. "Damn!" She rose to her feet, pacing back and forth in a futile attempt to expend some of the energy pent-up within her. Damn wasn't strong enough either, so she shouted, out loud, for the very first time in her life, "Fuck!"

But the word sounded so false - such poor bravado, cried out alone in her room, when she had just cast aside a chance for real independence. For pleasure. Perhaps, even, for love.

 _Now you're being silly,_ she told herself, plopping down in the chair Rick had sat in. _Rick O'Connell might desire you - all right, you know that he does - but that doesn't mean he loves you. If he came here to seduce you, why, that's proof he doesn't love you at all, isn't it? Men want one thing from a mistress, and another from a wife, and -_

\--and apparently reading every library book in the world wasn't enough to cast out the chains of conventional morality.

Miserably, Evie stared at the closed door of her suite. If she hadn't been bold enough to invite Rick to stay when he came calling politely, then she knew she wouldn't go tearing down the hotel stairs in her nightdress, calling his name. She still wished she could.

No, no, enough of this. Evie did not believe in self-pity. She resolutely tucked the amulet into her dressing-gown pocket for study and swallowed the lump in her throat. Tonight's difficulty didn't have to be the end of the story; tomorrow, when they divided up their shares, perhaps she could suggest that Rick stay another day or two. Maybe after a good night's sleep, she would have the courage. Certainly the past few days in Hamunpatra had required a great deal of bravery; maybe she was just - temporarily out.

 _Or maybe,_ she thought as she wandered back toward her bedroom, _it's easier to fight a war than tell a man what you feel._

She walked through the bedroom door to find Ardeth Bey kneeling on her Persian carpet.

"Sir!" The hand went back up to her dressing-gown's neck, though with rather more cause this time. "What do you mean by this?"

"You know I mean you no harm, Miss Carnahan." Bey rose and gave her a short, correct bow, his black robes rippling slightly in the breeze from the window.

"You mean to rob me, I think. That qualifies as harm in most of the civilized world."

His dark eyes flashed with something that was almost amusement, and she couldn't help noticing that he was a terribly attractive man. Not like Rick - but attractive all the same. Chagrined, Evie thought: _Typical. There's a tall, dark and handsome man in my bedroom - but it's the wrong tall, dark and handsome man._

He said, "Any Egyptian official who looked in this room would conclude that you are the thief, and not I."

Evie could feel her cheeks flushing. "We didn't intend to take these with us - they were just there in our saddlebags -"

"Take the coins," Bey said, disregarding the treasure of millennia with a peremptory gesture. "But there is one item you may have in your possession that could prove - dangerous - to you."

The wind ruffled her damp curls, cooling her. "You say dangerous as though you didn't mean it."

"I do not think you would appreciate its effects. To reveal more would be indelicate."

I'm not a delicate female, Evie wanted to protest - but her more prim instincts earlier that night kept her from saying so out loud. "Whatever is it? Is something - cursed?"

Bey shook his head and raked one soft black boot across the treasure pile. "No curses. But there is something in the manner of an enchantment -"

"Are we to enchantments now?" Evie wondered if her entire sense of science and rationality would soon be turned upside-down, then wondered why it hadn't been already.

Instead of answering, Bey said, "Have you seen an amulet? Perhaps the size of your palm. Solid gold, with cobalt enameling on one side and coral on the other -"

Evie put her hand in her pocket, reaching within the velvet pouch itself to bring forth the amulet she'd examined earlier. "Is this the one?"

As soon as Bey saw it, Evie felt a jolt go through her - electric, warm, inviting. Bey stepped closer to her, and for a moment, all she could think was, Very tall, very dark, very handsome.

"You should not have touched it," Bey said. His voice sounded rougher than it had before.

"I touched it when I first examined it." Why was her skin flushing with heat? Why did it feel as though a nightgown and robe were far too warm for the night? "It didn't do anything - it didn't feel like, like -"

Bey shook his head, as if to clear it. "You must have been alone then. On one person, the amulet would have no effect. With two - well, with two, as you see -"

"What is this enchantment?" Evie looked him in the eyes, but that made her so weak in the knees that she jerked her head away. "I rather think delicacy should not enter into your explanation."

"I believe Imhotep created it himself." A fine sheen of sweat was visible on Bey's forehead now. "A kind of precaution, in case he and Anck Su Namun were ever caught by Seti I."

"They were caught, in the end -"

"But without this. Perhaps Imhotep was - overconfident. Or he was carried away. Certainly, at this moment, I cannot say the enchantment would not work."

Evie wondered why her hands were shaking so; the lamplight glittered on the surface of the amulet, trembling with her fingertips. "You still haven't explained it."

"It was designed to ensnare three people in an enchantment - forgive me, Miss Carnahan - of carnal desires. Should Seti I have caught Imhotep and Anck Su Namun together while one of them held this amulet, then instead of ordering their deaths, he would have - joined them."

Three people, all together? Evie had never imagined such a thing outside of some of the more audacious Hindu scrolls, which were perhaps less allegorical than she'd believed. But her imagination supplied images now, clear and explicit, of sun-bronzed bodies locked together behind netting woven with threads of gold. "I feel it," she said. "The memories. They're trying to get out and - take us over."

"With one person, there was no effect," Bey said. He took a step backward, which seemed very wrong, though Evie knew it was anything but. "With two, obviously, the temptation becomes great."

"Very great," Evie whispered. "But we can manage."

"Yes. Give me the amulet, and I shall take it far from here for safekeeping."

She prepared to toss it to him. Her hands were still weak, and she attempted a little laugh. "Thank goodness there's no third person here -"

"Evie?" Rick's voice echoed from the front room. "Evie, are you still awake?"

Bey's eyes went wide. Evie threw him the amulet, though she knew she was no safer with him holding it, then shouted, "Rick, stay outside! Please!"

"Evie? Are you okay?" Totally ignoring her warning - which was just like the man - Rick ran through the bedroom door, then scowled at Bey. "Didn't expect to find you here."

"Oh, no." Bey stared at the amulet in his hand, then at Evie with a heat that made her dizzy.

"Oh, my." Evie wanted to reach out to Bey - but she wanted to touch Rick even more, so badly -

"If the two of you have - what the - I - whoa." Rick staggered backward as though he'd been struck, and then she saw all her own need reflected in his eyes. "Evie -"

Then he had her in his arms, just as she'd wanted, and his mouth crushed down on hers. Evie opened her lips for him; though she had never done this for any man, it all came so naturally - the way his tongue felt as she accepted it into her mouth, sucking slowly to draw him in. Rick's hands were warm even through her dressing gown -

\--then Bey's hands stole around her waist, pulling away the silken sash. Yes, she thought, urging him on. It felt only right that he was there, that he wanted her too.

When Rick began kissing her throat, Bey tugged the gown from her shoulders, then tilted her head toward him for his own kiss. His mouth tasted so different - exotic, a hint of dates he might have had in the marketplace - but good. Rick groaned his approval as her robe splashed to the floor; now she wore only her nightgown, and the lamplight shone through it. Evie felt no embarrassment, only pride, as both Rick and Bey stared at her hungrily.

Rick dropped to his knees at her feet, gold coins glittering in the candlelight beneath him. He lifted the hem of her nightgown, revealing calf and knee and thigh - then Bey took the fabric from him and tugged it overhead. Evie raised her arms to help them. It had been so warm, too warm. This - standing naked with Bey behind her and Rick kneeling before her - this was just right.

Rick slid his hands up her thighs, softly encouraging her to part her legs. Evie did so, stumbling a little, but Bey caught her, bracing her back against his now-bare chest; she could feel the faint wisps of hair against her shoulder blades. Bey's fingers traced the outlines of her ribs, then cupped her breasts, his fingertips pulling at her already-hard nipples. Evie gasped, overcome by the sensation - but that was before Rick's tongue began tracing a soft line up her inner thigh.

 _Oh, yes,_ Evie thought, reaching back to brace herself against Bey, as though he were the trunk of a tree. _Yes, please -_

Then Rick's tongue pressed up into the folds of her flesh, wet against wet, heat against heat. Evie cried out, not caring who could hear her. Rick, encouraged, began caressing her there with lips and tongue, tracing the swell, the cleft, the place that she wanted him to touch most of all -

Evie's fingernails dug into Bey's flesh. She heard him groan and knew it wasn't from pain. And Rick kept going, dizzying her, and it seemed as though she could look at nothing but the lamplight, though her eyes burned and the world went gold and blurry.

A jolt rocked her, almost too quick for pleasure - but then it crashed through her again. Blood soared from Rick's tongue up to the very roof of her head, and Evie let her head fall back as the feeling took her over.

No sooner had her climax began to fade than Bey swung her around, tossing her onto the bed. Evie smiled up at him, reveling in the lean, golden lines of his torso as he stripped away the rest of his robes. Behind him, she could see Rick struggling with his own clothes, but they were bulky Western things - suspenders and cufflinks - and they took longer. Within seconds, Bey was naked, lowering himself over her, bringing his mouth to her breasts.

She'd had no idea it would feel that good. Evie arched her back, helping him, whimpering into the coverlet as Bey's tongue swirled against her nipples, making them even harder, if that were possible. She'd touched herself in the night, but she'd never realized how much better it would be to be kissed.

Rick whispered, "Make room for me." He was the first person who had spoken aloud in so very long, Evie thought, dazed.

Bey heeded Rick's words and shifted, leaving Evie sprawled upon the mattress and - for one moment - alone. But that let her see Rick, standing at the foot of the bed, and the sight took her breath away. Rick was broad where Bey was lean, his chest and arms muscled like a Praxiteles. And his manhood - oh, that was rather more impressive than a Praxiteles -

His hands grasped her knees, pushing up and back, then tugged her down until she was almost ready to fall off the bed. Bey curled around her, suckling her breasts again, his forehead against her belly. Evie gasped as his mouth closed over her nipple once more, but then she felt hardness pressing against her, up and down, in slow strokes, and then -

"Oh!" It hurt, but it didn't hurt. Evie clawed Bey's shoulder with one hand and clutched at Rick with the other. Rick's head was tilted back; he was clearly reveling in the sensations, just as Evie was herself. He pushed in deeper, then again, his movements falling into a rhythm that Evie's body seemed already to know.

Then they were moving together, Evie's body undulating with the tempo of Rick's thrusts and the lapping strokes of Bey's mouth upon her breast. Sometimes she wanted to close her eyes, just to intensify the feelings, but that would mean no longer looking at Rick. And she wanted to look at Rick. Every muscle in his arms was taut as he gripped her waist; the sinews in his lower torso flexed with every thrust. His dark hair flopped forward, wet with sweat, and Evie longed to brush it back. It was just one more way to touch him.

But then Rick's body tensed, and his jaw clenched, and he slammed into her once so hard it did hurt - but then he was gasping, shuddering out his release above her, and Evie knew nothing but pride.

What exhilaration, to see a strong man shake from the release she gave him.

Rick pulled back, catching himself against one of the bedposts. Evie had no time to speak to him, for Bey was lying next to her, pulling her up. And then it was hard to even remember Rick was there; it seemed far more important to devote her attentions to her other lover.

Bey's skin was gold where hers was pale, and the tattoos across his cheekbones and forehead struck her as exotic. She brushed her fingertips across them, then lowered herself along his body, relishing the touch of thigh against thigh, belly against belly. His hand tugged one of her thighs insistently.

For a moment, Evie felt confused - she wasn't a fool, she knew that women could take this position for making love - but she wasn't at all sure how to move or to begin. Then the images flickered within her again, like carvings in sandstone - Anck Su Namun's memories guiding her, telling her what to do. It was good to know, better to feel Bey beneath her, best of all to give in to this unnatural fire.

But even as her hand closed around Bey to guide him into her, Evie paused and thought -- _I am not Anck Su Namun._

_This belongs to me. This is what I want, not her._

"Rick," she whispered. "Come here."

In an instant, Rick's hands were on her shoulders, his lips brushing against the back of her neck. "Behind me," Evie urged, and he knelt on the bed so that his belly was against her back, his thighs straddling hers. Bey's dark eyes flashed with pleasure as Rick's hands gripped her waist and helped guide her down, driving Bey deep inside her.

Evie could have laughed out loud, or sung, or cried. It felt so good - riding Bey, enjoying the thick burning that filled her up - and yet having Rick's hands dip between her legs, cup her breasts, move with her, caress her, oh, yes -

 _This is what I want,_ Evie thought again. _This is mine._

**

When she awoke, Evie was first aware that she was naked. Odd, that.

Then she was aware of an odd feeling between her legs - not quite soreness, but a kind of awareness that hovered at the edge of discomfort.

Then she realized that someone was lying next to her, and that was when the memories came crashing in.

"Oh, my merciful heavens," Evie whispered, sitting bolt upright. Then she grabbed the sheet up to shoulders as Rick stirred, then opened his eyes wide.

For a moment, the two of them could only stare at one another. Then Rick hastily tugged the sheet across his waist and said, "Okay, so, that wasn't a dream."

"I don't believe so. But then, where is - "

"Bey," Rick said, his voice hard. "What did he do to us?"

"It wasn't him," Evie replied. A sheet of notepaper on the bedside table attracted her attention; she grabbed it and slid on her glasses to read:

_Miss Carnahan -_

_I trust that you understand the events of last night were caused by the enchantment. If there is blame, it is mine; had I found a way to warn you before, this might all have been avoided. I hope that you and Mr. O'Connell will bear me no ill will, but I felt it would be best for all of us if I were to depart before you both awakened._

_Rest assured that I have taken the amulet with me and that it will be destroyed before it can ensnare others. I cannot as a gentleman express myself further than to say I will both honor and cherish your memory. Farewell and safe passage._

_AB_

Evie gave the note to Rick, who began reading and frowned. "Amulet? What amulet?" After she explained, he sank back into the pillows. "So that was like a curse. Just - a sexy curse."

"An enchantment," Evie said, hugging her knees to her chest. "You know, nice instead of evil."

The expression of shock that had been on Rick's face began to shift into something much gentler - and, in Evie's opinion, far more handsome. "Nice, huh?"

"Rather." Her momentary embarrassment was fading fast; after last night, it would be ridiculous to be bashful.

"It would be nicer if it were just us," Rick suggested.

Evie pushed her glasses up her nose and made quite a show of considering his words. At last she said, "I don't believe you." He started to look offended, but she quickly added, "I demand proof."

That brought the shock back - but then Rick laughed, and then he was kissing her again. She wriggled closer to him, feeling his bare body against hers, and it was the least embarrassing thing in the world.

After a while, Rick whispered against her neck, "Last night. I thought you didn't want this. Not in the bedroom - definitely not then - but before."

"Then why did you come back?"

He half-shrugged, and the gentle look was in his eyes again. "I couldn't just let you go. Not that easily. I meant to kinda let you make the suggestions - but then you didn't, and I -"

"I was bashful," Evie said. "That's all." And, of course, worried that Rick wouldn't still want her the next morning, but she now had all sorts of evidence that wasn't the case.

"The amulet took care of that."

Evie kissed his chin. "It would be more than a bit ridiculous to act prim now."

Rick nuzzled the curve of her neck. "And here I thought you didn't know anything that wasn't written in a book."

"Oh, Mr. O'Connell, I shouldn't disparage book-learning if I were you." Capturing his face in her hands, Evie whispered, "Remind me to tell you about the Hindu scrolls."

**

THE END

 

 

 


End file.
